In the Gospels we find many titles given to Prophet Jesus, all of which indicate that he did not profess to be God or to be worshipped as a god. From them is the following:
The Son of God
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood titles attributed to Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, in the New Testament is “Son of God”. As a Christian I believed whole heartedly that Prophet Jesus was God’s only begotten Son, sent to die by crucifixion for the sins of mankind. Most of my influences were based on the doctrines of the church as well as the literal interpretations of biblical passages found within the Gospels. But it wasn’t until I studied the texts of the Bible that I soon discovered that the early Jews (those before the time of Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him), held a “Son of God” to be the Creator’s human vicegerent; one whom God would speak to and give direction and who fulfilled His will on earth, not God incarnate who assumed the flesh of mankind.
In the Old Testament we find that God is constantly referenced as “Father” and the chosen ones of the children of Israel are His “sons”. Examples from the Old Testament include the following:
“I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” 2Samuel 7:14
“A father of the fatherless and a judge of the widows, Is God in his holy habitation.” Psalms 68:5
“For thou art our Father, though Abraham knoweth us not, and Israel doth not acknowledge us, though O Lord art our Father, Our Redeemer.” Isaiah 63:16
“But now, O Lord, thou art our Father.” Isaiah 64:8
Both Prophets Jacob (Israel) and David (Daawud), peace be upon them both, are mentioned as being God’s first-born and begotten:
“And thou shalt say unto Pharoah: Thus saith the Lord: Israel is My son, My first-born.” Exodus 4:22
“I will tell of the decree: the Lord said unto me: ‘Thou art My son, this day have I begotten thee.” Psalm 2:7
And in the genealogy ascribed to Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, we find in Luke 3:38 where our father Adam, peace be upon him, is mentioned as, “Adam, the son of God”.
Dr. Bart Ehrman states in his book, Jesus Interrupted (pg. 79), “Although Jesus is acknowledged as the Son of God in this Gospel (see 1:11; 9:7; 15:39), that is not his preferred title for himself, and he only acknowledges it reluctantly (14:62). It is important to know that for ancient Jews the term “son of God” could mean a wide range of things. In the Hebrew Bible the “son of God” could refer to the nation of Israel (Hosea 11:1), or to the king of Israel (1 Samuel 7:14). In these cases the son of God was someone specially chosen by God to perform his work and mediate his will on earth. And for Mark, Jesus was certainly all that—he was the one who performed the ultimate will of God, going to his death on the cross. It is striking, though, in the Gospel of Mark, that Jesus never refers to himself as a divine being, as someone who preexisted, as someone who was in any sense equal with God. In Mark, he is not God and he does not claim to be.” End of quote.
And Christian writer Bruce Chilton in his book entitled Rabbi Jesus an Intimate Biography (pgs. 17-18) states, “All his life, Jesus was both intense in his personal vision and gregarious in company. These habits of temperament develop early: personal intensity comes of loneliness, and those who love company most know what it is to live without it. A critical, independent child with an ironic turn of mind, Jesus must have spent much of his time alone, wandering through the hills of Galilee, talking to the shepherds and vagrant rabbis who were regarded as shady characters in small communities like Nazareth. All the while, without training or conscious articulation, he was developing a sense of Israelite society that was radically inclusive and a vision of God that was not limited to the strictures of local institutions.
All the insults cast his way help explain why Jesus came to see God as his father, His Abba in Aramaic. If Joseph’s fatherhood was in doubt, God’s fatherhood was not. Jews of this time recognized themselves as God’s children and addressed God as “our father, our primordial redeemer is your name” (Isaiah 63:16). To call God “father” was a daring metaphor itself, because it signified that the creator of the entire world had entered into a special relationship with Israel, as a father to his children. And Jesus joined some rabbis in a further, bolder claim, asserting God’s personal, fatherly care for his children as individuals.
Because of Jesus’ love of this metaphor, calling God “father” became systemic in Christianity. But its meaning is Jewish and especially strong within the unsettled Judaism of Galilee. When prayed to and worshipped routinely in Christian churches, God becomes everybody’s father instead of my father, and the divine relationship becomes formalized and abstract instead of intimate, as it was with Jesus.
Aramaic stories in the Talmud vividly convey a reliance upon God as father. Although the Talmud was shaped during the fifth century C.E., it is largely written in Aramaic, and includes ancient traditions that sometimes open up new perspectives on Jesus. Jesus might have heard one Talmudic story about a rabbi who was himself known as Abba. Children came to him from a village plagued by drought, crying, “Abba, Abba, give us rain!” The rabbi lifted his voice to heaven, asking for rain on behalf of “those who do not know the difference between an Abba who can give rain, and an Abba who cannot!” (This playful wording works only in Aramaic, not in Hebrew. In Hebrew, the term for “my father” is Avi, not Abba, so confusion with the name “Abba” only arises in the Aramaic language; Taanit 23b in the Babylonian Talmud.) Such stories show that “father” was indeed a Jewish way of referring to God, and when Jesus was a rabbi he instructed his students to pray regularly to God as Abba (see Matthew 6:9) Even Greek-speaking Christians addressed God as Abba because they remembered Jesus’ original idiom (see Paul’s letter to the Galatians 4:6 ).” End of quote.
Proofs from the New Testament that ‘Son of God’ was not literal
With all of this said, there will still be some Christians who will insist that Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, is the one and only ‘Son of God’ in the literal sense. To them I ask, what is written in the New Testament? Does it not clearly state that everyone was a son of God and that He was everyone’s Father? Are not the following verses attributed to Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him?
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:44 - 45
“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5: 48
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1
“That your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Matthew 6:4
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6
“How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11
“For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Matthew 10:20
“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” Matthew 10:29
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:25
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13
“For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.” Luke 12:30
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32
“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:21
“Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but I go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.” John 20:17
{And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): "O 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: 'Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allâh?' " He will say: "Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner¬self though I do not know what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the All¬Knower of all that is hidden and unseen. "Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allah) did command me to say: 'Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things.} Quran 5: 116-117
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